Associate Land Use Planner

Job Summary

Bellevue is building the city of the future. Our welcoming, multicultural, innovation‑focused community attracts technology pioneers, outdoor enthusiasts, and family‑focused professionals from around the world. At Bellevue, you’ll be part of a team committed to providing exceptional customer service, upholding the public interest, and being part of the community vision. You’ll work in an environment where innovation, collaboration, and future‑focused thinking are the status quo.

The City invests in its employees and encourages and rewards employee growth and development by building on our commonalities and differences. Bellevue welcomes the world, and our diversity is our strength.

• Hybrid work environment
• Exceptional benefits
• Commitment to Employees
• Focus on Equity and Inclusion
• Office located downtown – close to transit, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment

A successful candidate will have prior experience in land use planning and an interest in issues pertaining to design, affordable housing and the environment. Candidates with experience in platting, conditional use permits, design review, critical areas, shorelines, sustainability, tree preservation, habitat restoration, mitigation, and landscape design are encouraged to apply. Field work is occasional; most activities involve the review and evaluation of plans, technical materials, consultant documents and reports.

Public information meetings and presentations to the Hearing Examiner are also occasional and may require work after business hours. Candidates with strong analytical and writing skills and experience presenting technical information to non‑technical audiences are desired.

• Review and project manage a variety of development review projects, primarily focusing on medium‑range land use applications with varying complexities and public interest.
• Conduct substantive analysis of discretionary reviews of all types with modest direction.
• Monitor project review according to pre‑agreed timelines; may include project management of Affordable Housing projects eligible for expedited review.
• Coordinate and manage information from technical reviewers into consolidated documents for transmittal to applicants.
• Use technical expertise to advise junior staff on complex and politically sensitive projects.
• Train and coach junior staff in areas of expertise.
• Organize and perform original research and prepare written findings and recommendations for land use code or policy development.
• Work closely with senior management on policy development issues.
• Provide official responses to inquiries from local, state, federal, and tribal entities.
• Act as a consultant to other departments within the city.
• Prepare and make presentations for councils, hearing examiner, boards and commissions, community groups, and private organizations.
• Engage in independent routine problem solving, negotiation, and discretionary decision‑making.
• Initiate learning of the Land Use Code and prepare in‑depth analyses and written documentation of land use and environmental interpretations with minimal assistance.
• Work effectively with teams of consultants and City staff.

• Applicable codes and policies used in land use review and the SEPA process.
• Comprehensive plan and development review processes.
• Development review and planning principles, practices, regulations, and techniques relating to land use, environmental, or transportation planning.
• Zoning laws and comprehensive plans, including formation, adoption, and enforcement.
• Local government and political decision‑making processes.

• Read and interpret architectural, civil, and landscape plans and technical documents.
• Utilize computer programs used for development services review, including permit tracking, electronic plan review, timekeeping, GIS, and related applications.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with individuals and groups regarding complex or controversial proposals and how the City’s land use and planning policies apply.
• Explain complex code and review processes to architects, contractors, developers, owners, supervisors,…